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UK set to join European Armaments Agency

01 March 1996

France and Germany have agreed in principle to full UK participation in the future European Armaments Agency (EAA) after a meeting in London on 11 March. Final obstacles were removed when James Arbuthnot, the UK procurement minister, convinced his French and German colleagues that the British Army will buy its future light armoured fighting vehicles jointly with France and Germany (an order of 3000 vehicles). It is expected that European defence ministers will decide the final arrangements for the multilateral EAA in November. The EAA will administer co-operative armaments programs and manage the EUCLID European defence research program and common test, research and proving facilities. It would be established by the WEU Council and be responsible to the NATO European defence ministers and National Armaments Directors. At the moment a bilateral Franco-German structure is being set up as a kind of embryo for the future EAA. It is aimed at improving interoperability and standardization of equipment used by both armies. It will assume all management of the existing common missile, helicopter, armoured fighting vehicle, satellite and drone programs of France and Germany. In the meantime EU industrial affairs commissioner Bangemann proposed to end arms-related customs duties between EU members and suggested that duties on US imports might be increased. From 1988 to 1992 EU members imported almost $18 billion in arms from the Unites States while exporting less than $1 billion to the US. Three-quarters of arms imports came from the US in that period while intra-European trade amounted to no more than 4% of total procurement of major conventional weapons. Jane's Defence Weekly, 7.2.96; 28.2.96; 20.3.96; International Herald Tribune, 26.1.1996.